A Christmas Dental Emergency – What to Do if Your Filling Falls Out Over the Holidays

What to Do if Your Filling Falls Out Over the Holidays | AD

The festive season usually means that the kitchen cupboards are filled with tasty treats to indulge in over the Christmas period. That’s all fine of course, but experts warn that some of these delicious snacks can be a potential hazard to your teeth. We’re not talking about the sugar content here but about hard foods like nuts, dried fruit with potential stones, and hard sweets like toffee that can actually damage any fillings that you have. Read on to find out what to do if your filling falls out over Christmas… 

Help! It’s Christmas And My Filling Has Fallen Out!

If you have fillings and enjoy treats like the ones mentioned above, it’s a good idea to have a DenTek’s Temparin® Max Repair Kit available at home as a dental first aid kit. Sales of these have increased in December as savvy shoppers are aware that most dental practices will be closed over the Christmas period, making it difficult to get seen quickly by your dentist if you have a dental emergency over the holidays. 

Did you know that over 73,000 people found themselves in A&E for help with emergency dental issues in the year 2023-2024? The Temparin® Max Repair Kit temporarily holds lost fillings, caps, crowns and inlays in place for up to 48 hours that can easily become dislodged when enjoying hard or chewy food. This will allow you some extra time so that you can see your regular dentist after the holidays instead. 

Expert Tips for How to Care for Teeth Over Christmas

Emma Nelson, dental expert and hygienist at The Dental Referral Centre in Dronfield, says:

“The last thing anyone wants to worry about when enjoying time with family and friends are any dental issues . However, there are ways to minimise the risk of dental emergencies and to deal with them if they do arise over the Christmas holiday”.

Emma’s top 5 tips for taking care of teeth over Christmas:

1. Be careful when eating hard nuts such as Brazil nuts – opt for almonds or pistachios for a softer alternative.
2. Toffees are a festive staple but are a dentist’s worst nightmare! Be especially careful to avoid damaging fillings and crowns etc. 
3. Avoid chewing on ice cubes when having a tipple – ice cubes can easily chip a tooth.
4. If you knock out a tooth, keep the root moist for it to be reattached. Either keep it in the side of your mouth or in milk or a saline solution. 
5. Use a temporary dental repair kit to keep fillings and crowns in place until you get to a dentist. 

“A lot of people lose a filling over Christmas because of toffees and not being unable to see their dentist can be a real issue”, continues Emma. “Apart from telling my patients to be very careful when eating toffees, I would recommend keeping a dental repair kit at home for such emergencies. This will tide you over pain-free until you can get to your dentist”.

As well as being prepared for a potential dental emergency, do make sure that you keep up with a good oral hygiene of brushing twice a day and cleaning between the teeth at least once daily. Also be mindful of your sugar consumption!

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